Loyalty
by case1se
Summary: Colonel John Casey and his team are the Alliance's final hope to catch fugitive River Tam. But when Casey finds out what the Alliance did to River, will he still be willing to bring her back? Post BDM and Sarah/Chuck established relationship. EDIT: Sorry to all of you who are still following this story but I have no plans on continuing any time soon. Maybe some day...
1. Chapter 1

Colonel John Casey stood at attention on the bridge of the Alliance cruiser Conqueror; shoulders straight, arms back, head up, eyes level. Casey had been a soldier for the majority of his life, quickly rising through the ranks of the Allied Military Forces, gaining respect, and a well-deserved reputation for completing his missions quickly and efficiently.

However, Colonel Casey wouldn't be so respected if not for the hard work and dedication of his highly skilled squad. Loyalty did not do them justice; each soldier would gladly follow their Colonel into hell itself, if asked. Casey smirked silently, recalling the close calls they'd had over the years.

"Colonel Casey, good to see you still in one piece; heard you had quite a dogfight on your way back from Whitefall." General Burns offered his hand to Casey, who returned with a firm grip, and resumed his stance.

"Nothing my team couldn't handle, General. Just a scrap, really. Patience doesn't seem to recognize any authority outside of her own. We disabused her of that notion."

"Glad to hear it. Actually, we've got a new mission that only your team can complete for us. Ready for your next adventure?" The General grinned, knowing Casey would never turn down a new mission.

"Sir, yes sir," Casey drawled, eyes brightening at the idea of a new challenge.

"I've got two specialists from the Academy who need a team of your caliber to retrieve a runaway student of theirs."

Casey grimaced. "A student? No offence General, but my crew is used to a little tougher job than grabbing some kid."

"She is much more than just a child. River Tam is dangerous, unpredictable, and resourceful." Casey turned at the quiet, eerie voice coming from one of the two men sitting at a command desk, their faces bland and unassuming, their hands, encased in blue surgical gloves, steepled in front of their faces. Casey could see why he hadn't noticed their presence until now. These men seemed forgettable, but something in the look in their eyes said to Casey that he shouldn't underestimate them.

"Colonel Casey, your team is well-known for beating insurmountable odds and completing your missions efficiently. We would appreciate your help in retrieving River Tam, as well as her brother Simon, for crimes against the government. Be advised, her last known location is on a Firefly class transport ship called _Serenity_, captained by a Malcolm Reynolds, former Sergeant for the Rebel Browncoats. We would like this crew brought to justice as well, but your team's primary objective is River and Simon Tam. This mission is top secret, Colonel. We will not look kindly on breaches of confidentiality."

Casey held the two men's eerie stares. A chill ran down his spine. Something was off about these two, but orders were orders. Casey raised his hand in a salute. "You can count on us."

_..._

Casey entered the hold of his own ship, Castle, to see that in his absence, his crew was already preparing for their next mission. The first thing he noticed was his First Mate, Sarah Walker, checking the equipment chests.

"Welcome back, Colonel. Just doing the final check. I can tell by the spring in your step that we've already got a new mission." Sarah smiled as she shut a compartment.

"New mission? Already? But we just got back!" Castle's mechanic and technology expert, Chuck Bartowski, exclaimed, popping his head out of a maintenance shaft in the floor.

"Was the last mission too much for you, Bartowski? Rather be eating ice planet on some Core beach somewhere?" Casey grunted.

"You know I never turn down a mish!" Chuck gave a goofy grin. "Besides, who'll keep this ship running after you're through banging it around chasing fugitives? I just got done securing a few couplings that were knocked loose in our _last_ firefight!" Chuck climbed out of the shaft and wiped his greasy hands on his already dirty jumpsuit.

"Well, we've got another interesting one, so gather up the others so I can brief you on the details."

"Yes, Sir." Sarah turned away to the communications console as Casey climbed up the stairs to Castle's command center. After a moment, a crackle followed by Sarah's voice was heard throughout the ship: "All hands to the Command Center for briefing on new mission. Repeat. All hands to Command Center."

Chuck and Sarah were the first to arrive, holding hands, which they released as they took their places at the large table in the center of the room. Following soon after was Carina Mackenzie, a fiery hothead not to be underestimated. Carina slouched into her chair, ruffling Chuck's hair. "So, how're the lovebirds this morning? Disgustingly happy I bet." Carina grimaced, pulling a slender knife out of one of her countless hiding spots to clean under her nails.

"Sorry I'm late. Just finishing up a check of the navigation system," mumbled a shorter, bearded man wearing a vintage tee shirt proclaiming "HAN SHOT FIRST" as he took his place next to Carina. Morgan Grimes was the pilot of Castle, one of the best in the 'Verse, and the final member of Casey's team.

Casey cleared his throat and all chatter ceased. He smiled. "First of all, congratulations on another successful mission; I think Patience will think twice next time before trying to double-cross the Alliance."

"Or she could just get sneakier," grumbled Carina under her breath.

"Well, she's somebody else's problem now, _dong ma_? We've got a new mission from the higher ups in the Alliance Academy. You've probably seen the wanted postings on the Cortex for River and Simon Tam. Seems on one's been able to find these fugitives, so they're giving us the job. Don't think it'll be easy though. This girl has reportedly fought against impossible odds and even killed Reavers in hand-to-hand combat. She's no harmless girl. And that's not all. She's running with a pretty tough crew on a Firefly class transport called _Serenity_, captained by a former Browncoat, Malcolm Reynolds. These criminals have been running rampant for too _ruttin' _long, by my estimation. It's our job to bring in the girl, and to take the rest of the crew, dead or alive."

"Sounds like a challenge," Sarah stated coolly.

Carina cleaned off her knife, slipping it back into its sheath. "Shiny. We haven't run across a good fight for quite a while. I've heard of this _Serenity_ before. Supposedly Jayne Cobb, one of the deadliest mercenaries around, runs with this crew. What I wouldn't give for a look at his equipment?" Carina winked and laughed as Morgan blushed.

Morgan coughed and cleared his throat. "Uh, I've heard of this _Serenity,_ too. Hoban Washburn is a legend among pilots. I've heard that he's actually pulled off a Crazy Ivan. I've always wanted to try one."

"Well, wipe that stupid grin off your face, Grimes," Casey growled. "These are criminals we're looking at; Browncoats. The captain and his first mate served together at the Battle of Serenity Valley."

A hush fell over the group. No one had been spared in the Battle of Serenity Valley. It was the most devastating loss on either side. Thousands of brothers, mothers, fathers, cousins, and friends, Alliance and Browncoat alike, had lost their lives that day.

Casey cleared his throat and continued hoarsely. "Well, now that you know who we're up against, let's develop a plan. This girl is dangerous, violent, and unpredictable. This will be a tough one. Now, apparently this _Serenity _docks frequently at Persephone; does business with a lowlife called Badger. I say we stake out the docks, ask around for their whereabouts, and maybe squeeze this Badger for information. _Dong ma?_"

"Affirmative, Colonel," replied the crew.


	2. Chapter 2

"_Tyrannosaurus Rex_ reports that _Serenity_ will begin landing sequence in approximately ten minutes and forty three seconds." River giggled over the comm. system as she set Wash's dinosaurs back in their spots on the dash. It had been months since Wash's death on Miranda, but the crew felt better with his dinos looking over them from the bridge. Every crew member, at some time or other, could be caught straightening a palm tree, or rubbing a smudge of dust off of a scale or two. Zoe seemed to spend a lot more time on the bridge; feeling a connection to her late husband by sitting in his pilot's chair.

River gave a sad smile, overcome with Zoe's grief that still clogged the air in the bridge sometimes. The events at Miranda had lessened her stress somewhat, but River was still struggling to find a balance between Reader, weapon, and girl. The crew was helping, each in his or her own way. River practiced meditation with Inara to strengthen her mind. Zoe and Mal taught her discipline. But Jayne's lessons were the most fun. He figured that if he was gonna share a ship with a weapon, then that weapon better have a safety. At first, Mal and Simon had been hesitant to have Jayne show River how to clean and assemble weapons, but after Miranda, no one could argue that the girl could handle herself. When Jayne's teaching started incorporating hand-to-hand combat, they were livid.

"_Mei-mei_, he could hurt you." Simon warned.

"That is the intention. Weapons must be used, not left to collect dust. The mercenary understands. Practice makes perfect." River pulled a face and patted Simon's shoulder.

"Yeah, Doc, don't worry yer pretty little head. More often 'n not, she's the one kicking my _pigu_ up and down the cargo bay," Jayne offered. After much persuading, Simon and Mal had finally accepted that River needed these sparring sessions, and River and Jayne soon had an audience during most of their matches.

The beeping of the landing sequence pulled River from her thoughts. The crew had just completed a surprisingly smooth transaction on Bellerophon for Badger, and was reporting back to Persephone to deliver his share and hunt for a new job. After the chaos of Miranda, and the decimation of many Reavers and Alliance troops, life had been much smoother for the Serenity crew. River's presence on jobs had almost eliminated surprises, but the Reader couldn't help but feel that that peace was about to be disturbed.

"Company's coming." She mumbled quietly to herself.

"What's that moon brain?" Jayne asked as he bustled into the bridge, sprawling out in the other pilot's chair and readjusting his gun belt. River just shook her head. "Mal says he and Zoe'll make the drop to Badger and hunt around for the next job. "Nara's meeting with some client, and the lovebirds volunteered to guard the ship. I figure since we got the day off, it's about time you got a coupla yer own weapons. That Reaver axe of yer's is mighty creepifyin' n' I'm sick a' ya borrowin' my ladies all the _gorram_ time."

"Is the Jayne-man jealous?" River giggled.

"Just be ready to go." Jayne grumbled, leaving the bridge. River smiled as she finished the landing sequence. After shutting down the engines, she went down to the passenger dorms to get her combat boots. On the way, she saw Simon, taking stock of the infirmary. She put her hair up in a bun with a bright flower.

"We haven't had any wounds in so long, I haven't needed to replace anything lately," Simon marveled.

"Jayne wants to go browsing. Finding new toys."

"Be careful _mei-mei_. We're still fugitives, even if the Operative let us go."

"She will be fine. She is not a little girl anymore _ge-ge._" River rolled her eyes as Simon sighed.

"I know."

"Moony! You comin'?" yelled Jayne from the hold.

"Coming!" River yelled back as she raced up the stairs.

* * *

"Sir, we just received an alert on the cortex of a shipping transport, classification Firefly, scheduled for docking in ten minutes." Sara turned from the console to Casey. "Should I have the Port Authority put a land-lock on it?"

"It's about _gorram_ time. We've been sitting here twiddling our thumbs long enough," Casey growled. "No, don't call for a land-lock just yet; we don't want to tip them off too early. We'll wait for confirmation. Alert the crew. Tell them to prepare for an arrest. Tell Grimes to get back here and warm up the engines. I want to be ready for anything."

* * *

"Ooh," River cooed as she fingered a Dan Wesson _Valor_, "she likes this one." The gun was sleek, deadly, and beautiful; a perfect fit. Jayne held out his hand to inspect it, not noticing the redheaded woman observing them quietly nearby.

"Mmm. It's light, but stable. Good sight. Well balanced. Should do fine." Jayne handed it back to River who lovingly smoothed her fingers over the barrel.

"Good choice. That's my favorite model too," Carina offered as she sidled up to the pair. She patted her leg holster and winked. "Ol' Johnny here's gotten me out of a lot of tough scrapes. If you're looking for a reliable sidearm, that's your gun." River looked hesitant, but Jayne was oblivious as he gave Carina a good once over. They'd been a long time in the black.

As River completed her purchase and holstered her new pistol, Carina smirked and brushed a bit of dust off of Jayne's shoulders. "Name's Carina, what's yours cowboy?" she asked, flicking Jayne's hat a little higher on his head.

"Ginger. Saffron. Too much spice causes indigestion," River babbled as she clutched her head. "Not good for kissing. Never on the mouth." She grabbed Jayne's arm and pulled him away. Carina watched with interest, ignoring the feeling that she was missing something.

"Shut it girly, this ain't the time for one o' yer spells." Jayne grabbed River's arm to stop her from shaking.

"Too many weapons, not enough holsters. Turn the safety on." Jayne reluctantly started dragging River away from the market, back in the direction of the ship. Carina stared as the two left and distractedly answered her when her comm. unit beeped.

"Carina, get back to the ship. We've got confirmation that River Tam is in Persephone. Prepare for arrest." Sarah's voice shocked Carina from her trance. River and Jayne were long gone, and too late Carina realized just who she had been talking to. As she sprinted back to Castle, she thought to herself: the rumors don't do him justice; Jayne Cobb is much more impressive in person.

* * *

The rest of the crew had already returned by the time Jayne dragged a still mumbling River into Serenity's airlock. Mal and Zoe stilled in their loading of cargo as Simon rushed forward towards the struggling pair.

"Mal, I think we got trouble. One minute she's fine as a dandelion, the next she's bug shaggin' crazy. She ain't done that since that Reaver attack back before all that Miranda _go se_ started," Jayne said as he subconsciously rubbed his side holster.

"They wouldn't attack Persephone. Too many Feds," Zoe argued, looking worried.  
"Maybe it ain't Reavers," Mal said, looking at River, who was still rocking in Simon's arms, whispering to herself. Inara joined the pair on the floor, brushing River's hair from her eyes.

"Two by two, hands of blue. Storm the Castle, steal the princess."

"It's the Feds," Jayne offered flatly. "She said the same _go se_ when we got captured on Ariel. That redhead in the marked musta been a Fed."

"I thought they weren't lookin' fer us no more?" Kaylee asked, confused and worried.

"Operative said he'd stop looking, not that we were free," Mal corrected. "Zoe, close up. Simon, take care of River. Kaylee, Jayne, get the engine ready for hard burn. We'll try to leave before they get wise," Mal ordered, and the crew bustled into action. Inara left with Simon to help River as Mal ran to the bridge. As he performed the preflight check, he glanced at the dinos on the dash. "I sure wish you were here to fly us out of this one, Wash. I guarantee it'll be a bumpy ride."

* * *

"Port Authority reports that Serenity has begun take off. Shall we pursue?" Sarah looked up from the console to Casey.

"Grimes, prep for flight. The second Carina gets on board…"Casey was cut off by static vibrating through the speakers.

"Here!" Carina's breathless voice boomed over the P.A. "Airlock doors closed. Clear for takeoff!"

"You heard her Grimes. Take off." Casey's eyes glinted. "We have a Firefly to catch."


	3. Chapter 3

As Morgan guided _Castle_ out of atmo and into the black, Chuck monitored the console from the copilot's chair.

"Cry babies? Like I'm some kind of back-birth. Lock onto their heat signature. They can't power down _and_ escape. We'll get 'em," Chuck scoffed as Morgan steered towards the largest heat signature on the screen.

"This is the famous Hoban Washburne?" Morgan seemed disappointed. "This is textbook flying. And I've been off book for years," he grinned.

"Don't get cocky, Grimes," Casey snapped, appearing behind them. "Get me close enough and engage the magnetic clamps. I have a feeling this Reynolds character won't come quietly."

"Not with Jayne Cobb on their ship they won't," agreed Carina, joining the group on the bridge. "I still can't believe I didn't recognize him. I've heard all the stories and read all the wanted listings…" Carina trailed off. "There was something real familiar about him, too."

"He's a criminal, Miller, not some hero. He's just a mercenary thug using murder to make credits," Casey scolded, crossing his arms. "Don't go getting too attached."

"I'm just having a little fun. Don't worry about me, Colonel," Carina laughed as she tossed her hair and grabbed her body armor. Casey was already fully prepped, and Sarah and Chuck were checking the ammo in their weapons. "Standard boarding procedure?" Carina asked as she strapped on her weapons and checked Ol' Johnny.

"Affirmative, "Casey grunted. "Get your goggles. Be ready for at least four, if not seven, armed hostiles. Remember, our objective is the girl. Recover her first."

"Seven on four, huh?" Carina smirked. "I like those odds."

"I'm in range, Colonel," Morgan's voice boomed over the PA system. "Prepare to board. Magnetic clamps engaged."

"Alright team." Casey looked around the hold as he did before every big mission. Chuck and Sarah held hands and shared a quick kiss before facing him. Carina checked her straps, tightening a knife holster on her thigh. "Let's go to work."

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

"This _hundan_ is good," Mal growled as Morgan avoided yet another trick. "He's not falling for any of my diversionary tactics. I think he's locked onto the heat signature, and we can't turn the engines off or we're humped for sure."

"Well then, let 'em board," Jayne offered, picking grime from under his nails, "we can handle a few purple bellies. We'll ambush 'em when they enter the hold."

"Kill a buncha feds? We don't even know who sent 'em," Zoe objected, frowning.

"Well we can't pull over and hide again. They've seen River and Jayne together, they'll know we're lying if we try to trick them," Simon offered worriedly. "As much as it pains me to admit it, I agree with Jayne. Maybe we shouldn't kill them, but we have to immobilize them for long enough for us to escape."

"For once, the doc's talkin' sense. We can't just run with our tails between our legs. I'll get Vera," Jayne rubbed his hands together and left the bridge without waiting for a decision.

"WE AIN'T KILLIN' NO ONE," Mal roared, still struggling with the controls. "Simon, you think if we capture them you could make it so they can't follow us right away?"

Simon nodded.

"Seems that's our only option, then. Zoe, prep for ambush. I'll make it look like we're surrendering. When they board, we disarm them _only."_

"Aw, no fun," Jayne pouted.

"I mean it, no killin' today, Jayne," Mal warned. The crew assembled in the hold as they heard the clamps engage: Mal and Zoe front and center, Jayne hidden next to the air lock doors, Inara as lookout up in the rafters, and Simon and Kaylee manning the bridge. River was supposed to be with them, but the Reader had disappeared and was, hopefully, hiding.

"Get ready," Mal cautioned as the sounds ground to a halt. "Here they come."

* * *

Suddenly, _Serenity's_ hold went dark as the engines powered down, the air lock doors burst open, and four flash bombs were hurled into the hold. The crew recoiled as the brilliant lights and sounds assaulted them. Casey and his squad entered the melee, their ears plugged and their eyes sheltered by night-vision goggles. When the chaos subsided and the emergency lights came up, Sarah and Chuck had Mal and Zoe immobilized on the floor, and Casey had his gun trained on Inara in the rafters. Most of the _Serenity_ crew was still shell-shocked; all except for Jayne, who had a muscular forearm wrapped around Carina's neck, his favorite knife, Binky, held at her throat.

"Alright, now don't nobody be getting any itchy trigger fingers or Red here'll be dead afore she hits the ground," Jayne drawled as he tightened his hold, looking down at the rest of the crew.

"Stand down Walker, Bartowski," Casey barked, without looking away from Carina's face as she winked. Casey growled, "So, you're Cobb, huh? Thought you'd be bigger, from all the stories. Well, legend or not, you and the rest of this rebel crew are under arrest for harboring fugitives River and Simon Tam, resisting arrest, and a whole host of other crimes against the Alliance. Let's not add murder of a federal officer to that list. We've got you and your crew cornered, your ship locked down, there's nowhere to run. Just give us River Tam and this'll all go smoother for everyone."

Casey didn't notice River sidling up behind him until it was too late, but Jayne did. Not wishing to lose the element of surprise, Jayne thought, 'NOW' as loud as he could, hoping the Reader could hear him. He smirked and tightened his hold again as River dropped down from one of her countless hiding places in the hold, springing back to her feet and knocking Casey down with a swift roundhouse kick to the head. Casey fell to the ground, dazed, while River pirouetted around his prone form, executing a graceful _plié_ as she kicked his gun up with her foot and caught it in her hands. River smiled happily as she pointed the gun back down at Casey.

"Welcome to _Serenity_, Colonel Casey," she giggled.

Sarah reached for her sidearm and pointed it at River while still covering Mal and Zoe with Chuck.

"Drop it now, Tam," Sarah demanded, although she was powerless to stop River.

"Now who's got the upper hand, eh Blondie?" Jayne scoffed proudly, "great job, Moony. Just like we practiced." Jayne smirked over at River, taking his eyes off of Carina, which was just the opening she was waiting for.

Carina kicked her leg up high into Jayne's crotch, knocking the wind out of him as he collapsed to the floor and Carina grabbed her spare pistol from her boot, wrenching Jayne's hands behind his back and balancing her foot in the small of his back, gun aimed at his head.

"You were saying, Cowboy?" Carina smiled viciously as Jayne groaned, and then she turned to River. "Now, River…can I call you River? I'm gonna need you to release the Colonel. You're out gunned and out manned. Why don't you just come quietly and no one will get hurt?"

"Don't do it, Moony!" Jayne yelled, pushing up a little from the floor.

"Jayne…"Mal warned, worried.

"C'mon Cap'. They don't know what she's capable of, or they wouldn't a' brought such a small crew. She's taken out a roomful a' Reavers, she can handle four purple bellies. Go get 'em, Moony," Jayne cheered from the floor, seemingly recovered from his recent humiliation by the prospect of more violence.

Through all this, River's hand never once faltered. Casey looked over at Chuck, who seemed to be considering River. Chuck caught Casey's eye and gave a barely perceptible nod. Sara, catching the slight exchange, looked worried.

"She does not wish to harm more innocents. She also does not wish to go back to the blue hands. Dilemma. Freedom or pain," River became visibly upset, her hands shaking as the gun aimed at Casey seemed to falter. "Two by two, hands of blue. Two by two."

"River. It's okay. You won't go back there," Simon called from the rafters where he had come to see what was happening. "I won't let them."

"I'm afraid none of you have a choice in that matter," Casey retorted, getting frustrated with the stalemate. "My team has been tasked with finding and retrieving River Tam, and we _always_ complete our missions." Casey looked around, assessing the situation. "Look, we've got your crew, we've disabled your ship, and there's nowhere for you to run. Let's quit playing around."

"Two by two, hands of blue," River continued to mumble quietly. Casey looked back at her and a familiar chill went up his spine.

"Get 'em, Moony! Just like practice!" Jayne called, noticing River's mood.

"River, no!" Simon yelled, but it was too late. River closed her eyes and went still, then exploded into action, kicking back with one leg, disarming Carina, and then knocking her to the ground. She then did the same to Sarah and Casey in the blink of an eye. Chuck looked over at River and seemed to freeze, his eyes widening. He gave a small gasp and squared his shoulders.

'Heh, what does he think he's doin',' thought Jayne, remembering the last time he faced off against River during a spell.

Chuck and River circled as both crews looked on. Suddenly, River went in for another kick. Miraculously, Chuck blocked it and went in for a deadly punch to the head, which River seemed to anticipate as she ducked and flipped through the air.


	4. Chapter 4

Both crews became transfixed as Chuck and River danced around each other in a deadly dance of fists and feet. Weapons were forgotten, holds slackened, as all eyes were glued to the two fighters. Intersect and Reader were seemingly evenly matched, whirling around the hold in endless combinations of kicks, flips, and hits. Eventually, with no clear winner, both fighters stopped to catch their breath, chests heaving and arms limp from exhaustion.

"Whoa. Chuck, buddy that was awesome," exclaimed Morgan, who had come to see what was taking so long. "That Tam girl's got some wicked moves."

"The Intersect is not so bad himself," River conceded, then whispered, "better than the Jayne-man."

"Hey!"

River giggled.

"If we're all done exchanging pleasantries, we're supposed to be _arresting_ these fugitives, not complimenting their fighting skills," Casey grumbled, although he couldn't hide the awed look on his face. Casey did love a good weapon, and anyone with the skills to go up against the Intersect had to be pretty tough. If she weren't headed straight for a government holding facility, he'd love to have a sparring session of his own. But back to the matter at hand...

"The Intersect is classified information. How did you find out about it?" Casey growled. This was getting messy. This was supposed to be a basic extraction, but this River Tam was turning out to be full of surprises. Casey didn't like surprises. They ... _complicated_ things. And he couldn't help but think that he had gotten himself mixed up in something bigger than he could ever imagine.

River stilled, all traces of laughter gone from her face, her eyes locked on Casey. "The Intersect is a tool, a database, like the girl. He was created... like Adam ... but he left the Garden ... she wished to leave too ... Eve to his Adam ... but they want to drag her back ... back to the Garden." River looked wistfully at Chuck, hope lighting her eyes. Both crews looked on, looks of confusion and curiosity on their faces. They shifted their gazes between River and Chuck, speculating. Chuck broke from his trance first, starting in surprise and giving River a shocked look.

"Um...no offense, I mean I'm sure you're nice and you're certainly pretty and all...not that that should matter...and I'm, of course, happily taken by my lovely partner Sarah, here...not that we're just partners...we're more than that...Um, but yeah, I wouldn't consider myself the ...uh, Adam...to your, um, Eve. I mean we've just met, heh. Don't you think that's a little quick...heh heh," Chuck stammered nervously, glancing from Sarah to River worriedly.

"_Bi zui_, numb nuts. No one cares about your _romantical _feelings, _dong ma?_" Casey growled. "Now I want answers and I want 'em _now._ What'd she mean by this 'Garden' and being the government's 'tool?' What 'tool' would that be?" Casey demanded, looking around the faces of _Serenity's_ crew. River looked impassively back at him, Jayne just glared, Kaylee and Inara looked concerned, and Mal and Zoe stared stonily back. Simon looked to be struggling internally, but finally spoke up.

"She's—" he started to explain, but was interrupted by Mal, who stepped forward in between Casey and Simon.

"Now, Doc, let's not go giving away all our secrets. You forget these folks aren't here to help us." Mal cautioned, his face unreadable.

"They're here already, and they won't leave without a fight. As this ship's medic, and River's_ brother_, I'd like to prevent as much violence as possible, _Captain,_" Simon protested, shoving his way to the front as Jayne scoffed.

"Hnh, like they could take us so easily. It were a draw the way I saw it." Jayne grumbled. Simon ignored him. "Maybe if they know the truth they'll change their minds."

"Not likely," Carina smirked. "The Colonel's really proud of our stellar completion record."

"River's a Reader." He blurted, frustrated. "She was recruited from the Academy for her extraordinary intelligence; she's a genius. But they didn't just recruit her, they imprisoned her, tortured her, performed experiments on her. It drove her to the brink of insanity. She's only just recently regained some semblance of control over her own mind. And you want to drag her _back_ to that?" Simon let out an explosive sigh of frustration and anger. "I just don't understand how you can take orders from such monsters. How anyone could condone the torture of an innocent young girl..." he trailed off quietly.

"I don't know who you think we are, Dr. Tam, but we would never condone violence against children." Sarah sneered back. Chuck rubbed her back soothingly.

"Yeah, there must be some mistake." Morgan chimed in, "I mean, we're the good guys, right, Colonel? We're just following orders, right sir? You didn't know about this, did you?"

Morgan and the rest of the crew looked over at Casey, questioning. Casey did not like where this was going. So this was the big secret. The government was imprisoning young geniuses and molding them into super soldiers. Not that Casey was that surprised. He had been working his way through the ranks for too long not to be exposed to the darker side of law enforcement. This was turning into a right pain in his _pi gu._ Casey glanced around the hold at each crew member: Chuck and Morgan were staring at him with their disbelieving puppy dog eyes; Sarah and Carina, the professionals, kept their eyes and their weapons trained on the Serenity crew, although Carina was paying more attention than absolutely necessary to that Cobb character. Casey might've been worried, but Carina knew enough to put the mission first. The Serenity crew was harder to read. Sure the medic brother was upset, and the mercenary was clearly comfortable with a standoff with the law; the Companion was a twist, and the cheerful girl in the oily coveralls, but overall they seemed harmless. No the two to watch for were the stoic Captain and his equally calm First Mate. Even if he hadn't had the briefing, the hard look in their eyes marked them as survivors of the Rebellion. Casey's jaw tightened as he remembered. These two would fight and fight hard. Finally, he turned to the target, that little slip of a girl that had thrown a monkey wrench in his mission.

She stared back defiantly, with a small smirk and a raised eyebrow, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. Well, if the medic's _gorram_ story was true, she probably could. _Gorram_ Readers. He'd never liked the idea of some stranger being able to scroll through his mind at their leisure without his knowledge. He'd had the misfortune to work with a few over the years on special missions and something about their blank stares and gibberish speak had always damaged his calm.

"If she could, the girl would stop, but there is no off switch, no earplugs, no way to drown it out." River burst out, clapping her hands over her ears and glancing pleadingly up at Casey. He growled.

"Cool it Casey," Carina said as she walked in between Casey and River. She tucked an arm around River's shaking shoulders. "Isn't it obvious that she can't control what she can and can't hear? The poor thing's shaking like a leaf. She's obviously terrified. Poor little thing. Remember me?" Carina shot Casey a quick glare and then turned back to River with an encouraging smile.

"Ol' Johnny...the marketplace...ginger spice..." River mumbled to her feet.

Carina smiled again, "that's right, but most call me Carina." River looked up and gave a small smile.

Casey harrumphed, arms crossed over his body armor. "I thought I made it clear there would be no fraternizing with the enemy, Miller."

Carina's eyes shot fire across the hold. "Look, _Colonel_, I saw firsthand the kind of anxiety this has caused this poor young woman and I refuse to believe that she deserved it. I've turned a blind eye to a lot of the _go se_ the Feds put us through because I usually just don't care. But I can't just drag this girl back to the _hundans_ that did this to her. Can you? Are you really that heartless?"

Casey could feel his resolve weakening. He was getting too old for this _go se_.

It was only a matter of time before Chuck piped in as well. "Yeah, Casey, man this doesn't feel right. I mean, I'm glad I have the Intersect and everything, but you know how much I had to sacrifice to get this far. I mean, what if they had gotten me earlier? What if Bryce hadn't gotten me kicked out of the Academy? I could've been stuck there right with River. I can't send her back there!" Chuck yelped, waving his lanky arms back and forth. It was Sarah's turn to rub soothing circles on his back as she too glared at Casey, as if it was somehow his fault that the nerd had worked himself up into a frenzy.

"Y'all can say what you want, but by my estimation, it's not up ta y'all whether Riv stays or goes," Jayne drawled. "Don't think just because she's some sprite of a girl that she'll be easy to take against her will. Y'all ever hear of Miranda?" A slanted grin turned up his mouth as he glanced around the hold. Zoe winced ever so slightly as the rest of the Serenity crew looked solemn. Jayne continued, oblivious. "Ever hear of the Reader who not only exposed the Alliance's darkest secrets, but also took on more'n thirty Reavers all on her own in hand to hand combat? Think you're puny squad is more of a challenge for Moony over there?" He scoffed.

"That was her?" The crew exclaimed in disbelief.

"Well, now, we like to think of Miranda as more of a group effort," Mal interjected, "but it's true I can't imagine anyone making River do something she didn't want to do in the first place. Lil' albatross is mighty slippery when she wants to be."

This was officially out of hand. This was supposed to be a simple capture and delivery of two wanted fugitives. Damn these _gorram_ rebels and that _gorram_ slip of a girl with her ballerina feet and her girlish face and her mind reading tricks and her deadly fighting skills. For the first time in his life, Casey had absolutely no idea what to do.

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the long waits between updates. This is my first long story and I'm having trouble with characterization and figuring out where to go next. I'd welcome any brainstorming ideas or suggestions in a review or comment. Constructive criticism is appreciated! Thanks for reading!


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